Whenever I tell people that I'm from New Orleans, I can guess
that the response will be something related to Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is
indeed an important part of the New Orleans experience, but the city has
a great deal more to offer.

New Orleans' location makes it an excellent stop for ships
carrying cargo to and from other ports along the Mississippi River and
the rest of the world from the Gulf of Mexico. Since the city's
founding, it has been one of the most vital port cities in the United
States.

During times of war, the city was viewed as an extremely vital
asset since it served as the gateway to the Mississippi River. Even
today, it is not uncommon to see cargo ships registered to several
different nations anchored in the Mississippi alongside the city. In
addition to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico, the city lies
in close proximity to Lake Pontchartrain, which offers small pleasure
boating, fishing, water skiing, and sailing.

Besides the shipping industry, New Orleans enjoys a booming tourism
industry. People from all over the United States and the rest of the
world come to town for annual festivals such as the Jazz and Heritage
Festival and French Quarter Festival. Among the annual sporting events
held in the New Orleans are: the Compaq Classic PGA Golf Tournament, the
Sugar Bowl, and the Bayou Classic football game between Grambling and
Southern Universities. New Orleans is also occasional host to national
events such as the Super Bowl and the Democratic and Republican national
conventions.

Many people also enjoy a tour of some of the mausoleums in the
city's cemeteries. The practice of putting the dead in mausoleums
developed out of necessity as the city is below sea level and is
susceptible to hurricanes coming out the warm waters of the Gulf of
Mexico. It was found that the mausoleums were a safer final resting
place than a traditional grave.

If the attractions within the city aren't enough, you can rent
a car and head North on River Road to one of several plantation homes
along the Mississippi River. Visitors can tour the grounds of the homes
and get an idea about what life was like in the days of the Antebellum
South.

New Orleans used several different flags before the Louisiana
territory became part of the United States. Originally a French
settlement, New Orleans also saw the rule of the Spanish and British
before being returned to French control just prior to the Louisiana
Purchase. The influences of these different cultures are evident in the
world famous Vieux Carre, or French Quarter, where much of the
architecture is actually Spanish. The most well-known example of this is
the Cabildo, which was the seat of the government in New Orleans when
the Spanish ruled the city.

Architecture is not the only area where the history and cultural
influences of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana are evident. While
every other state in the Union is divided into counties, Louisiana is
split into parishes. This practice traces its history back to the strong
Catholic influence in the state. Also, Louisiana is the only state whose
laws are based on the Napoleonic Code which developed under French rule
as opposed to Common Law as in every other state.

As you can see, New Orleans has a rich history and unique character
to offer its guests. There is a lot more to the city than the
celebration surrounding Mardi Gras. I've been to a lot of other
cities around the United States, and although I love to travel and enjoy
visiting new places, to me there's really no place like New
Orleans.

RELATED ARTICLE: Tips for Traveling to New Orleans

Pack

* Pack an umbrella, comfortable shoes, and a camera. There are
plenty of places to walk around, but remember New Orleans can often be
rainy on summer afternoons.

Buy

* Buy a VisiTour pass. Available in one-day or three-day
denominations, the pass allows unlimited access on streetcars and buses.
It's great for exploring.

Take

* Take a round-trip sightseeing tour on the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar. It's a great way to get an overview of the Garden
District, Uptown, and the University areas of town, and you'll be
aboard the oldest continuously-operating street railway system in the
world.

View

* For a delightful view of the Mississippi River, take the ferry at
the foot of Canal Street across the water to Algiers on the West Bank.

Cocktails

* Acclimate yourself over cocktails at the Top of The Mart, a 33rd
floor revolving cocktail lounge that affords a 360-degree panorama of
the city.

Lingo

* Brush up on your New Orleans lingo. For example, you catch the
streetcar on the "neutral ground," or what is also called a
median. And "dressed" when ordering a sandwich means your
sandwich comes with "the works." In the Crescent City, another
popular way to order food is "lagniappe" (pronounced lan-yap),
which means "a little something extra."

Flow

* Go with the flow. Directions follow the river. Upriver is uptown.
Downriver is downtown. Lakeside is toward Lake Pontchartrain. Riverside
is toward the Mississippi River. The Central Business District and the
French Quarter are downriver/downtown.

Ride

* Ride the turn-of-the-century carousel in City Park.

Muffuletta

* Buy a muffuletta or a po-boy and have it for lunch on a bench in
Woldenberg Park.

Parks

* Visit Audubon Park or City Park. New Orleans has been rated one
of the greenest cities in the U.S., and these two parks are less than
three miles apart.

Drive

* If you're driving to New Orleans, the French Quarter exit
off I-10 is the "Vieux Carre," exit 235B.

Explore

* Explore the 24-hour, Farmers Market in the early morning hours.
You'll see some of the city's most famous residents shopping
for produce.

Aaron Hirsh has lived in the New Orleans area for 20 years and
recently moved back to his hometown of Slidell, La. He graduated from
Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La.

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